Optimizing Pianism – Evidence-Based Perspectives (Bloomsbury, 2025) offers an evidence-based approach to solving the problems of pianism. It draws on research from psychology, biomechanics and neuroscience, and informs on the topics of the mechanics and perception of touch, cognition, learning and memory in virtuosic performance, performance psychology, injury minimisation and aesthetic manipulation. Like sports-science to the athelete, this book brings music-science to the artist in a user-friendly way. (See reviews, below.)
About the Book
Optimizing Pianism is divided into 3 parts, guiding readers through belief systems, cognitive biases, perception mistakes, biomechanics, mental training, interpretative skills, and the aesthetics of expression and communication.
Part I – Pianistic Beliefs
Believing in Beliefs
Mind Traps and Mental Shortcuts
Part II – Touch Beliefs and Realities
The Touch-Tone Relationship – Performers’ Perspectives
The Touch-Tone Relationship – Scientists’ Perspectives
Part III – Optimizing Pianism
Pursuing Excellence: Beliefs, 3Ms, and a Process
Mechanical Skills
Mental Skills
Musical Skills
Part I – Pianistic Beliefs
Believing in Beliefs
Mind Traps and Mental Shortcuts
Part II – Touch Beliefs and Realities
The Touch-Tone Relationship – Performers’ Perspectives
The Touch-Tone Relationship – Scientists’ Perspectives
Part III – Optimizing Pianism
Pursuing Excellence: Beliefs, 3Ms, and a Process
Mechanical Skills
Mental Skills
Musical Skills
Book Reviews
"This book is a revelation. The universe of pianistic art is examined from all sides and put to the test. The approach is a scientific, rational one, but at the same time the author is also an artist and is familiar with the language of emotions and the fragility of aesthetic categories. The book contains everything an advanced pianist needs to know; from the physics of sound production on the grand piano to the anatomical details of the hand, forearm and upper arm, and from the choreography of movements to the secrets of expressive playing that moves and captivates the listener. In doing so, it is not judgmental, but critically analytical, questioning. And it contains countless practical tips, from preventing overuse injuries to working through the difficult etudes of the Romantic period and designing a pianistic life plan. Thank you, Cameron!"
Prof. m. Dr. med. Dipl. mus. Eckart Altenmüller, FEAN
Institute of Music Physiology and Musician’s Medicine, Hannover University for Music, Drama and Media
Prof. m. Dr. med. Dipl. mus. Eckart Altenmüller, FEAN
Institute of Music Physiology and Musician’s Medicine, Hannover University for Music, Drama and Media
"Highly recommended - a forensic exposé of the megalomaniacal, imperialist and superstitious BS behind many destructive piano pedagogy belief systems, this is a keenly scientific and rational handbook on pianism that can assist pianists in skewering the cultural cringe and confidently think for themselves. You may not be able to choose your family, but you can sure as hell choose your own “ultimate pianism”.
Dr Michael Kieran Harvey, FAHA
Adjunct Professor, Piano & Composition, University of Tasmania
Dr Michael Kieran Harvey, FAHA
Adjunct Professor, Piano & Composition, University of Tasmania
"Dr Cameron Roberts is the most ideal person to embark on such a study. As a brilliant pianist and practising medical doctor he combines the disciplines of science and art. Cameron Roberts brings his knowledge of the workings of the body in relation to pianism in all its aspects, and challenges received ideas which have been passed on over generations. It is first and foremost intelligent and informative; it is thought-provoking, also amusing. It is both absorbing and enjoyable to read."
Ronald Farren-Price AM. DMus Hon, FMusA Hon.
Former Dean and Head of Keyboard, University of Melbourne
Ronald Farren-Price AM. DMus Hon, FMusA Hon.
Former Dean and Head of Keyboard, University of Melbourne
"Cameron Roberts is one of the most original, intelligent and sensitive musicians I know, and that, combined with his medical knowledge, makes this book a fascinating read. I thoroughly recommend it."
Duncan Gifford
Pianist, Teacher, International Competition Prize Winner. Madrid
Duncan Gifford
Pianist, Teacher, International Competition Prize Winner. Madrid
"Having recently read Cameron's book, I was impressed by the breadth of his investigation and the clarity with which he synthesises this information into a single volume. As a pedagogue with a deep interest in physiology and the mental acuity required for performance, I can attest that piano pedagogy lags poorly behind in embracing and applying the latest research - particularly when compared to the rigour of sports science. Too often it has it has been clouded by half-truths, folklore, and well-meant but misguided and uninformed attempts to describe the realities of what we really do. Optimising Pianism cuts through that fog, offering not only a valuable reference to consult but a foundation for healthier, more effective, and truly optimised pianism.
Timothy Young
Head of Piano & Resident Faculty, Australian National Academy of Music
Timothy Young
Head of Piano & Resident Faculty, Australian National Academy of Music
"Cameron’s book is gold! I only wish I had read it earlier on in my career. What I found enlightening was learning more about the touch-tone relationship. Reading about the many conflicting expert opinions on what actually creates a “beautiful” piano sound, I found both confronting and liberating. What struck me most was the clarity he gives to what actually happens when we press down a key. In a very practical and honest way, he disentangles what is acoustically causal, what is functional and what is psychologically helpful. I now feel less attached to inherited metaphors and feel much more grounded in my playing."
Dr Ashley Hribar
Classical, Jazz and Contemporary Music Pianist and Composer, Australia/Germany
Dr Ashley Hribar
Classical, Jazz and Contemporary Music Pianist and Composer, Australia/Germany
"I have to admit I’ve never spent much time thinking deeply about why I use certain mechanics at the piano. Reading your book made me question some of those habits and ask whether there is actually a reason behind them—particularly in relation to my teaching. It made me think more carefully about how the piano actually works and what it is in my instruction that might genuinely change the way a student produces sound. For example, things I often say like “play deeper into the key” or “use more arm weight” made me realise that while those ideas often seem to help students, I’m not always completely clear about what is actually changing mechanically. I guess your book made me want to think more deliberately about the relationship between technique, sound production, and the explanations we give students. It’s something I’m trying to get better at in my teaching."
Eidit Golder
Concert Pianist and Teacher, Australia
Eidit Golder
Concert Pianist and Teacher, Australia
"Cameron teaches with calm authority and an easy, approachable manner. Students feel safe to take risks with him; he helps them understand not just what to do, but why it matters. His explanations are clear, practical, and attuned to the individual, and he has a gift for turning complex ideas into simple, useful insights they can apply immediately. His quiet excellence has a way of elevating everyone around him."
Dr Zen Zeng
Pianist, Teacher, Author, Speaker. Melbourne, Australia
Dr Zen Zeng
Pianist, Teacher, Author, Speaker. Melbourne, Australia
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From the author... "why guess when you can know!"
"Uncomfortable with the opinion-based claims of most piano pedagogical systems...
... Gobsmacked by the contradictions between what piano pedagogy experts preach and what science tells us, ... Saddened by witnessing the avoidable injuries of colleagues, ... Astonished by the collective wasted time of students practising ineffectively, ... Mystified by the lack of nurturing of how to push creative boundaries in institutions, ... and Passionate for a more evidence-based, reality-informed, opinion-less platform to solve the problems of advanced pianism, ... 'Optimizing Pianism – Evidence-Based Perspectives' arrives into the world! The book is for advanced pianists and teachers, and addresses the central pedagogical themes of touch, the touch-tone interaction, its mechanics, our perceptions of it, and how – based on understanding – we can optimise it. Uniquely, it examines this topic through the eyes of science in an evidence-based way, challenging the assumptions of common teaching traditions, and exposing the pitfalls of many pedagogical schools of thought – systems that continue to permeate teaching institutions around the world. Simply, the book explains 'why we do what we do, why we believe things that don't help us, and how we could think and act much better.' Thus, the book seeks to separate what matters from what doesn't matter with regard to our thinking and our practising habits in order to achieve – and continue to upgrade – virtuosity. It highlights how errors of thinking, errors of mechanics and errors of learning are major factors preventing our pianism from excelling. It outlines an approach to overcoming such problems by targeting objective solutions in the Mechanical, the Mental and the Musical domains of pianism - 'The 3 M's of Pianism'. Clever readers will realise that all instrumentalists could benefit from the fiction-cleansing thought processes of this book." My hope is that it inspires, transforms and keeps you away from injury. |